"To give a brief introduction, Kata’ib al-Imam al-Gha’ib
(‘The Absent Imam Battalions’- the ‘Absent Imam’ referring to Imam al-Mehdi
in Shi’a messianism) is one of dozens of Shi’a militias that have emerged
as part of the ‘Popular Mobilization’ (al-Hashad al-Sha’abi) trend in
response to the wave of Islamic State [IS] gains in northern and western
Iraq in summer 2014. Like a number of militias (e.g. Hezbollah the
Mujahideen in Iraq), Kata’ib al-Imam al-Gha’ib- led by a man known as
‘Abu Dhir al-Fiqar’, advertises itself as a ‘Hezbollah brand’, using
Hezbollah’s symbols in its insignia in particular."